St Leo's students on a high after their successful annual musical
Cast members on stage during St Leo's College presentation of High School the Musical in Visual/
THE annual St Leo’s College transition year musical finished on a high recently following a three-night run of the much-loved staged adaptation of the Disney film at Visual.
The musical was a collaborative effort with all TY students involved in the production, from directing and acting, to stage design and set painting.
Róisín Currid directed a fabulous show while Áine Shiels, Veronica Doyle and Angela Kirwan were the co-ordinators, Laura Dowling oversaw costume design and Áine Cosgrave was in charge of music.
Behind the scenes, a monumental effort went into the set design, with students learning how to transform the story into a live stage performance.
One of the set painters, Ava Malone, said the role gave her and her colleagues the chance to express their creativity.
“I loved having the opportunity to design something that I created myself and getting to work with my friends made it even better. Then, seeing our work come to life with the actors was quite special,” Ava said.
An incredible level of detail went into designing the sets, with Ava and the rest of the team spending a lot of time in the lead-up to the show going through the story plot with a fine-tooth comb.
“We spent time looking at the plot so we could include small details such as a poster on the wall. We also thought about the characters’ personalities, what they’d have in their lockers, their interests, so everything feels authentic,” Ava said.
The plot of the musical centres on Troy Bolton, the school’s star basketball player and Gabriella Montez, a brilliant but reserved new student.
After unexpectedly singing together at a New Year’s Eve karaoke party, they discover they’ll be attending the same high school. Drawn to each other and to performing, they secretly try out for the school musical, shaking up their friends and the school’s rigid social circle.
For many of the students, it was the first time they had taken to the stage or were involved in the production of a live show.
Megan Carr, who plays Cathy, said the experience was a “highlight” of the year.
“My character was involved in the audition scenes, where I sang and danced. I loved how energetic it was, the musical really is a highlight of TY. Each class group had their own dance routine and we worked closely together as a group and there were a lot of rehearsals involved,” Megan said.
